14 Comments:

I'm sure this does not mean much coming from me - a nurse/mom from a small town in Georgia with very little art knowledge - but this is beautiful and a fantastic take on the American media's idolitry of celebrity. I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

Artists are the soul and conscience of the world. They force people to face themselves through imagery. Your provocative painting challenges assumptions about purity, idolatry, and popular culture. It is brilliant. The nay-sayers must be rank and file Walmart shoppers...lemmings who mindlessly follow their leaders without thinking for themselves. Enlightened minds will appreciate your ironic and mischievous humor as well as the serious questions your painting poses. Well done!

It's really unfathomable how we can manage to kick God out of schools and make so much fuss over ten commandment monument in a public office only to depict a celebrity angelic/heavenly or devine if you may again in public. Idolation of celebrities sometimes gets taken out of context.

To the author, who seemed so insulted by the inclusion of a "naked child" in this painting:

You seem to suggest that Wal-Mart is a space worthy of special exaultation simply by the virtue of it being a "family ORIENTATED* store". It seems that you are either under the impression that the painting is now, or is going to be, on display in a Wal-Mart Shopping Center, or you feel that the inclusion of a Wal-Mart in the same composition with a nude child is somehow sacreligious, or both. If your fear is the former, from what I gather from reading this artist's blog, her painting is not scheduled, at any time, to be placed on display in any Wal-Mart, so your children are safe from corruption, and you need not fear being embarassed at the sight of a small child's nudity.Now that you can rest assured that your local Wal-Mart will not suffer the insult of having this artwork displayed, you should be aware that infants, children, and HORRORS, even adult subjects, have been depicted in the nude for centuries, in every known medium, and by virtually all of the great masters, so you and your family should avoid going to art museums. Be aware that some of the perfectly innocent looking retail stores, (including Wal-Mart), offer reproductions of some of the classic paintings, which may feature nude, or partially nude, figures. In addition, since you mentioned "commandments", your readers could logically conclude that you consider yourself a Christian. You should be aware that nudity, in all it's glory, can be viewed on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel has been a house of Worship for centuries, (long before the first Wal-Mart was ever erected), and the ceiling features an undisputed masterpiece, which was rendered by Michelangelo in the early 1500's. From Wilkipedia: "The subject matter of the ceiling is the doctrine of Humankind's need for Salvation as offered by God in Jesus through the Church."

I'm sorry that the "Christian and Catholic" commentaries think that your art piece is about religion...they must not have read, "judge not, lest ye be judged". Keep up the interesting and controversial work. bon chance

O great,.... all the ridiculous Catholic comments.. All so offended and paranoid.Its an art piece, a point of view, an expression.Why take it so personally, please.I though that it was great (congrats Kate! =P ) I dont think it puts Angelina Jolie on a pedestal, nor does it make her look great, at all, its just a painting that reflects how ridiculous it is that in the USA, all the people are so obsessed and addicted to mainstream media, and to actors, people in the public eye, etc. That in some way, they are transforming MTV, Fox, and E! into their religion sources... US and People magazine, for any typical, walmart shopping american, are almost their bible.

Your painting is pretty cool!..."atheist?"(maybe it will give her a push in the right direction)..."taking a Saints place?"(don't see it,it's art,not the Bible)...God loves us all!!What was it He said...something about judge not,lest ye judged...hmmmm? Good Luck!!!

OMG isn't it wonderful to read all of the comments from such a diverse audience!

Perhaps the most amusing to me are the ones - usually anonymous - from those who are obviously under-educated (what is a "pledge of a lengents"?!!!) and typically consider themselves "christian". (Christ would shudder!). Some think it is about Angelina (and there are so many Angelina-haters out there - wishing they could look like or be her!)

Or how about the woman who blames Angelina for husband-stealing!!! She obviously get's her news from the same check-out-line headlines you depict in the painting - and then takes it as gospel! Should we tell her the painting is really about her? (Would she even "get it"?)

And who's the clown who called this piece "predictable"? I think ALL news is to the contrary.

Kate, your work is executed with elegance, talent and a style of your own. Your message to stop, look, and think - seems to have gotten lost on some, but I think MANY people can and will respond with thoughtfulness, to this piece.

Can everyone screaming "blasphemy" please just calm down already. This is ART and art can take on as many forms as the artist wishes to express him/herself. Get a grip people. Keep working on your own soul's salvation and respect other's free will, you remember free will right? God gave us ALL free will to do as we please, only God can judge because he/she is perfect, YOU all are NOT.

you might be interested in the opinions of the president of the Catholic League for Religous and Civil Rights, Bill Donohue, who said of Blessed Art Thou:

“The painting is innocent enough and not designed to offend. Nonetheless, Kretz has misappropriated the imagery of Our Blessed Mother. The only good thing we can say is that at least Kretz has—in her own backhanded way—correctly seized upon the most important and revered woman ever to live as the focal point of her statement. It also sends a message to those who unfairly cast the Catholic Church as anti-woman: no other religion in the world has reserved such a special place for a woman (Mary) to be honored more than Catholicism.”

Wonderful concept, and very well cultivated. I naturally had to check out Kate's website, and found an array of splendid creations. Thank you Kate for a moment of enjoyment, and for a site I can refer others to. I would like to add that I am disgusted by society's over-obsession with celebrity related affairs and mass consumer, disregard for quality and source of product. Thank you once again for this stunning image. I truly feel bad for the miss-guided, who scrutinize the spiritual or moral misinterpretations

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About Me

Kate Kretz attended The Sorbonne in Paris, earned her BFA from SUNY Binghamton, and her MFA from The University of Georgia. She was BFA Director and an Associate Professor of Art at FIU in Miami for ten years. She currently works in her studio and gives lectures and workshops at various universities.